Limits

I pressed my ear to the ground, and tried to pick up any noises. 'Hmm? Nothing. Maybe they are not that far away from their camp' I thought. "I can't hear nothing. They must be closer to their camp. You can wait here, I will go check by myself". Crow shook his head, and replied "Don't be an idiot, I will go with you". I nodded, and we moved towards their Camp again. Just before we entered the Forest, I tried again. With my ear next to the ground, I still couldn't hear anything. 'Weird… The amount of soil we saw was staggering. They are either digging very deep… or they are much further than we thought' I thought.

We left the area, and headed towards Sedon again. While we ran, I said "They must be much further away than I assumed". Crow didn't comment, but he didn't like that at all. We check a few times on our way, and finally found something. After about an hour of running at our full speed, I heard some noises coming from the underground. 'They are still a bit faint, so they must be further ahead' I thought, and advanced further.

Another ten minutes of running later, I checked again and the noises were very distinct. 'We should be close now' I thought. We ran a bit further again, and the noises became more subtle. This meant, they were digging at around the previous area. I asked Crow, "How far away are we from Sedon?". Crow thought about it, and said "Hmmm, less than a day for sure. I'd say we are a bit less than half a distance between Sedon and their Camp. In other words, we are closer to their Camp".

I nodded, and replied "We need to monitor them. We will come back to this place in a few days. This way, we can figure out at what pace they are digging. This will allow us to judge how much time we have left". Crow nodded, and we ran towards Sedon. On our way back, I said "Don't tell this to others just yet. We can't have panic on our hands. I also doubt they would find a solution. First, we need to find out how much time we have. Then, a solution". He nodded, and said "Not a problem, but I will have to report something, the council will demand it".

I replied, "Just tell them what you told me. Improve it a bit if you will". He nodded and said "Got it. I know the immediate plan, but what about the rest? You know, what about the field? Or your trip to Apium?". I said "The field will take care of itself. They will need to harvest the herbs and perhaps clean it once in a while, but I should be back by then. If not, I will show Lerry how to plant the herbs. About the trip to Apium, this didn't change. We need their stuff, and we need their craftsmen. I alone can't repair walls properly. They should have much more experience with that".

I then continued "I will check up on Voltars on my way there. If they are digging similar tunnels, Voltars need to be warned. Maybe they will have something with large destructive power, we will see. Your job will be to monitor their activities underground. Try to find anything you can. Maybe you can find a way to collapse the tunnel". He nodded, and said "I would do it anyway. I feel uneasy when I know that they are digging towards us... Do you need any help? I can send some people with you. Going alone, is not the best idea these days".

Before I could answer, Crow added "I know you are strong, but many things can happen. This is a war, remember?". I smiled, and said "You know me well, but I will be fine. I would be inclined to protect your people at the same time. I prefer to step into shit by myself. At least that way, I can only blame myself". He replied "Just trying to help". I nodded, and said "I know, but I will manage. You need your people".

We ran the whole way, until we reached Sedon. I decided to rest a bit, before showing Lerry how to care for the field. A lot of Lizards were also gone. Most of the Royal Army already left, while only a handful of Lizards stayed behind. I was surprised, when most of them walked up to me. I asked "Is something wrong?". One of the heavily armoured Lizards replied "No. General Harlin told us we should listen to you. He trusts you a lot, and we already witnessed your strength. There is no doubt in our minds, that you want to help us no matter what others think".

I smiled, and though 'Harlin you bastard'. He left his people under me, because he knew I wouldn't let them die so easily. I replied to the guy "For now, the city is relatively safe. I will be leaving soon, but you have to stay here and protect the city. In the mid time, you should train yourselves. I will design some stuff for you guys later". The guy nodded, and said "We would train either way, but if you have any ideas, we would welcome them".

I nodded, and said "Your supplies are getting thinner, but because the main army backed off, you should be fine for a while. I will try to solve the problem of supplies for you. All you have to focus on is training, and defending the city". He nodded his head, and they left. The area had a few tents left, but the large tent was no longer around. 'We can make more fields, while we wait for Vanauts to make progress. I wonder if the seeds from Endorsian Empire, will also grow in the North?' I asked myself.

I was able to grow the seeds from the North, while staying in the Savala Village. Whether that worked both ways, I wasn't sure. There was only one way to find out. I wasn't after healing herbs, no. I was after poisonous herbs. Atols had only one poisonous herb at their disposal. I also didn't know how to care for it, so it was completely useless to me. I on the other hand, had access to a few poisonous herbs, and that is what I planned to plant.

The next day, I repeated the process of clearing some stones, and made sure the soil was properly ploughed. I told Lerry a few things about planting and caring for the field. Lerry asked "Do we need to build another water container?". I shook my head, and said "No, I designed that one for a few fields. It will be enough for the two fields no problem. Even if we added a third one, we would be fine. It would need to be filled more often".

Lerry asked "So what now? We wait?". I smiled, and replied "No. Now, I need to build a water delivery system. Before you ask, this is for the fields to sort of water themselves. You will only harvest the herbs, and plant new ones". He looked at me for a while, and asked "Tha… That's possible?". I replied "Of course, Atols already use it. Who do you think designed it for them? Anyway, I will need a lot of wood. Can you bring it here, while I process everything?". He nodded, and gathered some people for help.

I then asked the remaining Lizards, if they could help as well. The soldiers didn't protest at all, and headed towards the area were wood was stored. 'The amount of wood Shades have, should be enough for the water delivery system. I don't think they actually took all the wood they cut' I thought, and awaited the first delivery.